The Following New Year
by Discursus
Summary: He started to take a step closer but stopped, as if he sensed her pulling back and knew that she wanted him to keep the distance between them. "Riley-" Riley's lip trembled as she tried to fight back tears. "Why are you here? Why now?"


**The Following New Year**

Ten.

Riley Matthews stood in the middle of her party – yes, two years in a row now – with tears forming in her eyes as she thought about the year that had passed.

Nine.

Looking at her guests, some new faces from high school but most others of whom had been with her since middle school, Riley reminisced about the good and bad times that they had shared together.

Eight.

Smackle was there with Farkle, interestingly enough engaging some of their classmates in a discussion on her latest shopping find. 'She's come a long way,' Riley thought with a smile. Looking over and seeing the pride and devotion on Farkle's face, she knew he thought the same.

Seven.

Auggie stood with Ava, hand in hand, pinching each other in an attempt to reach midnight this time. Although it seemed that Ava was doing more of the pinching - she seemed to enjoy doing it even if Auggie had yet to actually drift off. 'Strange, that my brother has a more stable romantic relationship than I do.'

Six.

Across the room, Riley saw Charlie trying to catch her eye which she promptly tried to avoid as she continued to scan the room as if she hadn't noticed him. She didn't want to encourage him further. For the past year, Charlie had continued to orbit her, going as far as to offer to be her rebound guy, hoping to change the way she felt for him. One year later, Riley still hadn't managed to changed her heart.

Five.

Samantha and Jenkins stood by the door, passing out noisemakers and festive hats which they had brought to help celebrate the New Year. Riley was eternally grateful for her friends from the cheerleading squad as she might not have survived this past year without them by her side. When everything fell apart, the cheerleaders had banded together, taking her in just like they had when she made the squad in middle school.

Four.

In a corner of the room sat Maya, looking about as uncomfortable as she had the year before. Had things not gone so wrong, Riley would have taken her place by Maya's side and tried to make things better. But that wasn't her job any more, Maya's new friends from the Art Club had the responsibility of turning her frowns upside down after their friendship had fallen apart.

Three.

Interestingly enough, Uncle Josh had been looking at the same direction and Riley watched as he crossed the room to make small talk with the blonde who had once had an uncontrollable crush on him. Despite the distance between her and her former best friend, a small smile formed on Riley's lips.

Two.

Missy and Billy were laughing loudly and passing around a flask which Riley suspected contained some alcohol. She frowned wishing that they had skipped her party altogether even though she wasn't one to exclude people from the guest list and invited them all the same despite her feelings towards them. Missy and Billy belonged to a trio whom Riley avoided in school at all costs now. The third being the one person Riley had spent the whole year trying to forget.

One.

Lucas.

"Happy New Year!" Everyone hugged and the lovers kissed. Ava drooled on Auggie as they sat side by side, slumped against each other in twilight. Cory and Topanga passed around juice boxes as her classmates toasted to the new year.

Zay approached Riley with two juice boxes in hand, giving her the grape juice box. "You look like you could use a drink, Sugar."

"I'll have you know, Isaiah Babineaux, that I am enjoying this New Year party so much more than I was last year."

Zay wrapped an arm around Riley and she leaned into his reassuring embrace. "It's okay to miss him."

"Who, Charlie? I'm perfectly happy that it's over… again," she said with a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's better this way, he deserves someone who will love him for who he is, not just take what he has to give." She took a sip from her juice box, sighing as she met his pointed stare. "Zay, I'm fine, really. Besides, I invited him tonight."

"Sugar, you left Lucas a message yesterday for him to come to your party. You know he refuses to be a last second invite. Heck, you even invited Missy and Billy to this thing a whole week ago."

"He still could have come if he wanted to," Riley said, her lips in a mulish line. "Everyone is here – Maya, Farkle, yourself… none of us have really hung out together for a year now but we haven't let that get in the way of celebrating the New Year together." Riley could feel her throat tighten, just as it always had whenever she thought of Lucas Friar.

Zay said nothing as he looked knowingly into Riley's empty eyes, recognizing that same look as the one his best friend had in his eyes every time he saw him. He also knew that the last time that either of them had looked truly happy was before they had all gone to Texas where the shit had hit the fan.

One of the cheerleaders who was playing DJ for the evening then switched up the songs from a happy celebration song to a slow love ballad. Zay gave Riley one last hug before he drifted off to Jenkins' side, never having quite given up his love for cheerleaders.

For the second year in a row, Riley stood all alone and she wondered if that was a sign that it was going to be another lonely year ahead.

"Hi."

Riley tensed as she recognized the familiar voice which had haunted her dreams. Slowly, she turned around, wondering if she was dreaming. "Hey."

"Hey," Lucas returned, a shy smile forming on his face like he hadn't expected her to reply. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking a deep breath and extended a hand out to her. "Dance with me?"

She stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. Her mind raced as she thought of everything she had wanted to say to him the past year, all of the questions she had wanted to ask him.

He started to take a step closer but stopped, as if he sensed her pulling back and knew that she wanted him to keep the distance between them. "Riley-"

Riley's lip trembled as she tried to fight back tears. "Why are you here? Why now?" she managed to ask.

Emerald eyes met hers. "I'm sorry I stayed away, Riley. I was hurt, and I knew I had hurt you too and believe me, that's something I never wanted to happen." He turned away from her and gazed out at the party. "I didn't want to come between you and Maya so I backed away, just like you tried to. I tried to pretend my feelings didn't exist." A wry smile crossed his face as he turned back to face her. "I suppose I should have taken my cues from you and realized that pretending those feelings away won't work."

"But Maya—"

Lucas shook his head. "Whatever Maya and I were feeling, it was nothing compared to what I felt-what I feel for you," he corrected. "We were so confused, having all of these feelings which we didn't know what to do with. You told me you only saw me as your brother, Riley. And then you told me that Maya liked me and that I should be with her instead. I didn't understand what was happening, and I was devastated, but I did as you asked because I've always trusted your judgment," he said with a sad smile.

Riley bit her lip. "But you left us both, Lucas. It hurt when you left us, when everything started to fall apart."

"You hurt me too," he said softly, as he reached his hand out to hers, twining their fingers together. "I knew I had liked you, but you convinced me to like Maya instead. And when Farkle told us that you still liked me... it hurt me to find out you had been dishonest with me. That you never bothered to ask me how I was feeling."

Riley hung her head down in shame as his words spoke the truth. She had practically run him off-by trying to force the situation. In the end, her good intentions had only ended up making her lose all of her best friends as a result.

Gentle fingers found her chin and lifted her face to meet his. "I missed you, Riley. I came here because I realized I was being stupid by staying away and I didn't want to start another year without you in my life. Now, I'm a bit nervous that your feelings for me have disappeared. Would you help ease my worries and dance with me?"

The insecurities which had plagued Riley throughout middle school screamed at her to turn away, to protect her heart from Lucas, from what he had done to her, from what she had done to him... but she couldn't. Brown eyes met emerald eyes and she fell as quickly as she had back in the subway when they first met. She quickly closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Lucas pulled her close and began to guide her into a slow sway. As he cradled her against his chest, he felt Riley relax, almost collapse. As she embraced him, Lucas felt stinging behind his eyes. Finally, things were as they should be.

Charlie stood across the room, his eyes narrowing followed by his shoulders slumping in defeat.

On another side of the room, Maya watched the two slowly start to dance. A small smile began to form on her face as hope began to bloom in her heart that this would help trigger the mending of the broken pieces of their friendship. She turned her gaze to meet that of Josh, her dance partner, and realized she had a lot to be hopeful for.

Cory and Topanga watched their daughter dance with her first and only love. Topanga sighed wistfully while Cory felt torn. On one hand, he was happy for Riley but on the other hand that meant her bay window would again be frequented by a certain boy who was in love with her. Cory sighed with resignation-he could always take his shoe if he caught him in his little girl's room again.

Riley and Lucas were oblivious to everyone, not caring that they were the center of attention. Riley could only marvel at the way her head fit so perfectly against his chest, and how his hands felt so right on her back. Lucas wondered how this had all happened, how the girl he had loved and lost was finally in his arms. They were both afraid of what could happen, but in the early moments of the new year, it didn't matter.


End file.
